1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a car for aiding outdoor walking equipped with a driving motor and provides measures against an uncontrolled run of the car for aiding outdoor walking.
2. Brief Description of the Related Arts
With regard to cars for aiding outdoor walking, the following examples were already disclosed.
As an example of the motor driven cars for aiding outdoor walking, a motor driven car for aiding outdoor walking having a change-over switch equipped with driving and stop positions, where a user can walk by gripping a handle of the car for aiding outdoor walking. (See for example the registered Japanese utility model No. 3004035.)
And there is another example of the power driven cars for aiding outdoor walking where a control box equipped with a power switch, a driving speed setting switch and a residual power indicator etc., is arranged at the center of a handle having grips at both ends and also a drive controlling device namely, accelerating levers which are maneuvered together with the grips so as to drive the car for aiding outdoor walking. (See for example the Japanese laid open utility model No. 7-11806.)
However, there are the following problems in the above-mentioned cars for aiding outdoor walking.
(1) in these examples, since the starting/stopping switch has to be manipulated by a different band from the one which grips the handle or the grip, or manipulated by the gripping hand after releasing grips due to the structure of cars for aiding outdoor walking, users of the cars for aiding outdoor walking instinctively grip handles or grips firmly when they are in unstable postures such as stumbling etc. Consequently, power switches can not be cut off immediately to stop the cars for aiding outdoor walking. Therefore there are probabilities for users to be dragged and to fall down due to uncontrolled running of the car for aiding outdoor walking.
(2) Due to the above-mentioned features in both examples, there are probabilities that these power driven cars for aiding outdoor walking would uncontrollably run during a switching operation by a person with a handicapped arm, since such operation is inconvenient for such person.
(3) Also due to the above-mentioned features in both examples, there are additional probabilities that these power driven cars for aiding outdoor walking run uncontrollably and cause accidents when a user releases his hands from the handle or the grips when the user""s attention is attracted to other things, and the switches still remain in the xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d positions.
The objective of the present invention is to realize a danger-free car for aiding outdoor walking which reduces a user""s physical burden, keeps and enhances a user""s physical status by stimulating the user""s intention to walk, where particularly the following functions are provided; (1) A protection against a fall down by the user as a result of being dragged by the car for aiding outdoor walking. When the user is in the unstable posture such as stumbling etc., a sudden standstill of the driving motor. (2) Start/stop operations of the driving motor can be manipulated with a single hand so that a person with a handicapped hand also can drive the car for aiding outdoor walking with his other hand. (3) A measure to stop the driving motor immediately, even when the user releases his grip on the handle unexpectedly.
A car for aiding outdoor walking according to the present invention having the following constitutions can solve the above-mentioned problems.
(1) A car for aiding outdoor walking equipped with a driving motor to drive wheels, a controlling measure where a first control is arranged to stop the driving motor, a second control is arranged to start the driving motor and a third control is arranged to stop the driving motor.
(2) A car for aiding outdoor walking according to (1) where the second control includes a controlling method of rotating velocity of the driving motor at a constant rate.
(3) A car for aiding outdoor walking according to (1) where the second control includes a controlling method of rotating velocity of the driving motor at a variable rate.
(4) A car for aiding outdoor walking where the first, the second and the third controls are controlled by an extent of gripping stroke of a user according to a predetermined stroke schedule: the extent of the first control is kept less than 40% of the whole stroke, the extent of the third control is kept more than 70% of the whole stroke and the extent of the second control is kept between the first and third controls.